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that does it for this edition of "360." thanks for watching. "early start" begins right now.

a terrifying moment seen in real time. a kansas city restaurant was reduced to rubble. right now, a winter storm is plowing across 18 states. it's affecting some 30 million people. in some places, we're talking feet of snow, not inches. army brass taking action after that steamy affair that affected the cia. >> i'm christine romans, i'm in for john better man. >> let's get started here. at any moment we could learn whether oscar hiss torous will be granted bail, despite a charge of premeditated murder against him. the latest development from our robin kerneau who is from inside

the courtroom is proceedings are adjourned right now because the state needs to find the lead investigating officer. that officer now facing attempted murder charges for allegedly opening fire on a mini bus carrying seven people. that was at 2009. at stake for hiss torous if he doesn't get bail, possibly months in prison before a full trial gets under way. we have the very latest. >> reporter: south africa woke up to shocking news this thursday morning that the investigating officer in the oscar hicase is under investigation himself. the main investigator, in 2009, was charged with seven counts of attempted murder.

we spoke to the prosecution authority about the allegations and they confirmed that charges have been reinstated against this investigating officer. in 2009, the charges were dropped. on the fourth of february, they were reinstated, the national prosecuting authority not confirming that the charges are attempted murder charges. so we're working to confirm those details for you. but, of course, this goes into the credibility of the state's main cases. and really as twists and turns continue in this oscar pistorius matter. everybody here in south africa is expecting that pistorius will be granted bail today after his defense team poked holes in the state's case that they presented

in the court yesterday. cnn, johannesburg. just into cnn this morning, nike announced suspending the contract with oscar pistorius. the deal is worth $2 million. and an ad featuring him i'm the bull net the chamber has been pulled. nike saying in the statement, "we believe oscar pistorius should ab forded due process and we'll continue to money tore the situation closely." again, nike suspending their contract with oscar pistorius. meantime, all reeva steenkamp's parents wants is the truth. as for the possibility of pistorius being granted bail today, here's what he told cnn's jake tapper. >> i don't have any absolutely terrible bad feelings. i'm not wishing bad things on anyone else. but if i were to detatch myself

from the situation which i suppose i can't do, under the circumstances, i would think it would be rather strange if someone who did something like this were to get bail. >> coming up at 6:30 eastern, we'll break down this morning's development at the pistorius bail hearing with cnn legal contributor. 30 million people are in the path of a huge winter storm system moving from california into the central plains. 18 states are in the cross hairs here. the powerful storm blanketted the rockies and brought snow as far south as tucson, arizona. blizzard conditions including fierce winds and sleet ripping through parts of nebraska, south dakota, and iowa. february in the midwest. parts of kansas facing the biggest threat of heavy snow. the effects of this giant storm system being felt there. the national weather service predicting heavy snowfall across the state with up to 18 inches in the forecast in some areas. kansas state university has canceled classes and the kansas city international airport is cancelling some flights.

kansas governor even shutting down state offices through friday morning ahead of the storm. cnn's aaron mcpike is live in witch ta wichita where it is coming down hard. >> reporter: you're right. it is coming down very hard and very fast. an hour ago looking out the window, you couldn't really see anything on the ground. it wasn't coming down that hard. but already we're seeing a lot of accumulation. what we do know is it's called a thunder snow. we're hearing a lot of thunder and lightning which is kind of weird. you don't hear that very often. at least not out here. this area hasn't seen a big snowstorm like this in about six years. so everybody needs to be very prepared. lots of cancellations. it's moving east, too, into nebraska. and so the big ten has already canceled the iowa-nebraska game for tonight and postponing that for saturday. lots of snow. >> you know it's serious when you have to cancel the iowaive in nebraska game. that's all i got to say. >> coming from the midwest, i

know. >> everyone takes it very seriously and stays safe there. thanks, erin. >> right now it looks like a winter wonderland. >> the storm is stretching from the dakotas to houston, texas. while it dumps snow in the north, it will pour heavy rain over new orleans and montgomery, alabama. and it could kick up tornadoes along the gulf coast as well. let's get right to jennifer delgado. she's in the weather senter in atlanta monitoring all of this for us. good morning. >> good morning, guys. you can see on the radar we have a lot of action out there. we have thunderstorms out there. you can see the lightning. line of storms developing through parts of texas as well as snow. we saw the live shot. the snow coming down even more on the way as well as that wintry mix affecting areas along interstate 44. so let's break this down for you. what can we expect today? a big mess out there if you're going to be traveling. as we go throughout the morning now, what you're going to see is the snow intensifying. as we move to the north through

areas like celina, we're seeing the snow really starting to pick up. some of these locations, we're talking 12 to 18 inches of snowfall in some parts, even an eastern kansas they're going to see a lot of snow. and then this is going to be the real mess. you can see through northern parts of arkansas as well as into western memphis, look at that wintry mix. also in the southern part of missouri, this is going to lead to ice accumulation. so this means driving on the roadway is going to be dangerous. this combination with strong winds is going to lead to some power lines coming down as well as some trees. the weight of the ice and then you combine that with winds at times we're going to see very limited visibility. we talk about how big the storm system is and the wide area that it's affecting. you can see we're talking 18 states out there from minnesota, michigan, all the way down towards new mexico. and even affecting the northern parts of texas. so how long is this going to last? this is going to go through the day and the snowfall amounts are going to be incredible with this triple threat storm. you can see the areas in purple

as i said to you, possibly up to about 18, 20 inches of snowfall. this is not going to be fun. i have to tell you guys, i'm a little bit envious of our reporter out in that snow. i would like to visit -- i like to visit snow. i don't want to live amongst the snow. >> it means chains on your tires. it means snow plows. >> it means skiing. >> chocolate, trapped in your house. >> thanks so much, jennifer. also developing overnight, five people dead in the crash of a small plane near augusta, georgia. this is new video, first we've seen from the crash. one of the passengers onboard, the pilot survived. authorities say after the beechcraft jet was on a flight from nashville to thompson, georgia, it landed last night, ran off the end of the runway. cnn's victor blackwell is following developments live from georgia this morning. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. we're getting new information from local law enforcement officials that indicating that this plane did not actually go off the end of the runway, it

either completely overshot the runway or never actually came in to land. i'll tell you why. we're standing right next to the airport. and the runway is a few hundred yards away and ends at this four lane road. we're told by that local law enforcement official that the first evidence of the plane, the first pieces are a few hundred yards in a field on the other side of the plane and they scatter about a mile to a mile and a halfback in that direction. there would be no evidence on this side of the road. if that plane had gone into the road or off the runway, it possibly could have hit a car or gone into a building across the street. actually, all the evidence is on the other side of that building. now what we've learned from the sheriff here sfifrt indication that something was wrong was about 8:30 last night when 911 dispatchers received calls about power outages. they came to investigate the outage and that's when they found the crash site. they also say there was a fire that was extinguished soon after. there were no injuries on the

ground. five people killed, two people sent to hospitals. there are substations in this field. there are power lines here. and that's likely why the power was out. thousands of people, this business right behind me, a technical college without power. we know that federal authorities were here yesterday. they'll be back at sunrise. we should get more information from the faa and the ntsb about exactly how this happened. back to you. >> victor blackwell, thank you so much. ten minutes past the hour. new developments this morning in a shooting and carjacking spree in orange county, california, that left four people dead including the gunman. police just releasing 911 calls from that case. the killings began early tuesday morning when police say 20-year-old ali sayed shot a young woman at his parents' home. that prompted his mother to make this frantic call to 911. >> what's your emergency? >> yeah, i think somebody is shot. >> take a deep breath and tell me what's going on, okay?

>> please come. >> explain to me what's going on, please. >> i can't talk. please come. >> that poor woman. police say sayed then committed three carjackings killing two drivers in the process. the killing spree ended when he turned the weapon on himself and took his own life. former illinois congressman jesse jackson jr. facing up to five years in prison when he is sentenced. that is scheduled june 28th. he pleaded guilty yesterday to using $7 aut$750,000 in campaigs to buy personal items such as a rolex watch that cost more than $43,000. jackson's wife sandy, a former chicago alderman plead guilty to filing false income returns related to the use of campaign funds. she faces three years in prison. we're getting a look at video capturing the moment a gas explosion and fire wiped out j.j.'s restaurant in kansas city. it sounded like thunder, felt

like an earthquake. one person was killed. more than a dozen others injured. authorities say a utility construction crew severed a gas line leading to the massive explosion. a boeing executive meelts with faa officials tomorrow to lay out the company's plan to fix a problem with its 787 dreamliner jets. the fleet has been grounded because of battery issues that ignited two fires. boeing hopes to get the planes back in the air by april. first on cnn, the army doing an about-face on the promotion of paula broadwell, david petraeus' former mistress. they decided to revoke the promotion from major to lieutenant colonel in the army reserves after initially appr e approving it last summer. since the petraeus scandal broke, she's been under investigation for having classified information in her home without permission. >> i know you're tired of hearing this, this just in, gas prices rising again. the nationwide average for a gallon of regular gas, jumped up about a penny to $3.78 a gallon.

that's 35 straight days that the price of gas has gone up. >> in those days it's up 47 cents or so in 35 days. so that is something people are really feeling. big developments in the works this morning ending the nuclear standoff between iran in the west. we'll go live to washington coming up. plus, bowling and strippers. a suburban mother in trouble after racy pictures involving her own son surface on the web. how is she involved? you'll find out when we come back. [ jen garner ] what skincare brand is so effective... so trusted... so clinically proven dermatologists recommend it twice as much as any other brand? neutrogena®. recommended by dermatologists 2 times more than any other brand. now that's beautiful. neutrogena®. ♪

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proposal. what's new about it? i know last year they tried to do this and they didn't go for it. what's new here? >> that's right. it's been about a year since the u.s. and the partners sat down with iran over the nuclear program. they've been making a good deal of progress on the developments since that time. so they're sweetening the pot, so to speak, and asking more of ire ran in return whether they sit down next week in kazakhstan. in exchange for easing the ban on the trade of gold and precious metals to iran and some nuclear fuel for peaceful purposes, iran must close its enrichment facility at a plant that is underground. the longer iran keeps this underground facility open and becomes more difficult to stop them militarily from having the uranium needed for a nuclear weapon. they want them to ship out the uranium they have made to a high purity level. iran rejected the plan. my sources are saying that expectations are low for the talks because iran has its

elections coming up in june. nobody thinks the iranians are ready to make a deal before that. they don't want to be seen as making concessions to the west before these elections. but iran's economy is really hurting because of these biting sanctions the u.s. and european union slapped on them. this ban on oil and in the last year alone, iranian currency has fallen 80%. so the u.s. and its partners feel it's good to get the talks going, see what iran wants. the hope is maybe they'll feel the crunch and deal seriously after the elections because people are really hurting. >> all right, thank you so much. 18 minutes past the hour. we have breaking news just in to cnn. a car bomb targeting the headquarters of syria's ruling party exploding in central da mat cuss. syrian state television reporting an undisclosed number of casualties. the vehicle detonated at a checkpoint manned by government soldiers in front of the barge

socialist's main office. this is according to a human rights group. we'll have updates on this breaking news story throughout the morning for you. all right, also happening now, day three of oscar pistorius' bail hearing. we're waiting to see if pistorius will be released. court resumed after they located the lead investigator. the bombshell new information this morning that the lead investigator, the investigator, faces attempted murder charges for allegedly opening fire on a mini bus carrying seven people in 2009. new this morning, nike suspended its contract with pistorius. the deal is believed to be worth $2 million. an ad featuring pistorius with the words "i am the bullet in the chamber," that has already been pulled and nike says "we believe oscar pistorius should be afforded due process and we will continue to monitor the situation closely." much of the country is under a severe weather worng. 30 million people are in the path of a powerful winter storm that is dropping snow, ice and sleet across several states in

the central plains and midwest. the system is huge. 800,000 square miles, that ais 18 states. the national weather service predicting up to 18 inches of snow in kansas today. and with forced budget cuts set to kick in march 1st in a new poll, a majority of americans agree with president obama's approach to tackling the deficit. 76% want a combination of spending cuts and tax increases. and 70% say it's essential for the president and congress to pass major legislation to reduce the federal budget deficit. potential impact of automatic budget cuts on middle class and families and small businesses will be the focus of a house hearing. that is scheduled for today. and police near albany, new york, say a mom hired strippers to perform at her son's 16th birthday party. you heard right. this is at a local bowling alley. the da says some of the kids were as young as 13 years old. 33-year-old judy viger is

charged with five counts of endangering the welfare of a child. parents found out about it when steamy photos began popping up on facebook. you know kids love to share everything. there you have it. >> are you kidding me? >> mom is in trouble now. no, i'm not kidding you. true story. >> i would have a heart attack. >> i would imagine a lot of parents did. >> no mom of the year award there. game on again for play station. consumers getting a first look at sony's new game console. they should have been playing video games. >> not violent ones, right? >> unveiled just hours ago. does it live up to the hype? [ fishing rod casting line, marching band playing ] [ male announcer ] the rhythm of life. [ whistle blowing ] where do you hear that beat? campbell's healthy request soup lets you hear it... in your heart. [ basketball bouncing ] heart healthy. great taste. mmm... [ male announcer ] sounds good. it's amazing what soup can do.

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in this morning, a bombshell in the oscar pistorius case. we now learned the olympic star is not the only one in the courtroom facing serious criminal charges. a severe weather alert this morning. a winter storm dumping on 18 states. it's affecting about 30 million people. >> egged on by mom. a shocking incident between two teen girls caught on camera

begging the question what were they thinking? >> you're going to hate this one when you see it. check your cereal bowl. kellogs recalling thousands of boxes this morning. something could be in there that definitely shouldn't be in there. >> that's what i call a tease. welcome back to "early start," i'm christine romans. >> and i'm zoraida sambul. we wait to find out if oscar pistorius will be granted bail despite a charge of premeditated murder against him. it was adjourned earlier as oefd look for the lead investigator in a case because of big developments overnight about him. hilton bota is facing reinstated attempted murder charges for allegedly opening fire on a mini bus carrying seven people. this was back in 2009 while he was under the influence of alcohol at the time. at stake for pistorius if, he doesn't get bail, months in prison before a full trial gets

under way. we have a roelive report we arel the details. i want to start with the lead investigator. as we understand it, there were murder charges against him. they were dropped and then reinstated on wednesday. could you walk us through all of this? >> reporter: it's our understanding that those were seven counts of attempted murder charges relating to a case in 2009 where he was allegedly driving drunk with other cops and they shot at a mini bus taxi and they were charged in 2009. those charges were dropped but then reinstated by the national prosecuting authority. we also understand that this was a big surprise for the prosecution authority who, of course, very upset right now because one of their main witnesses' credibility is now in question. >> what's happening right now? is he being questioned at this moment?

>> more drama in court this morning as the magistrate called this investigating officer back on the stand. he thought he was done yesterday. but i think that what the magistrate is doing is trying to get more information so that he can make a decision on whether to grant oscar pistorius bail or not. yesterday the investigating officer presented testimony that oscar pistorius has a home in italy. the defense refuted thatment they say that oscar pistorius does not have a home in italy to escape to. today the prosecution producing a magazine, a south african magazine where oscar pistorius told the reporter that he has a house in italy. so obviously the magistrate wanting to get more and more information that will equip him to make the right decision on whether to give oscar pistorius

bail or not. the prosecution is arguing that he is a flight risk and he should not be granted bail. >> so court has adjourned for the time being. when are they expected to go back into session? will we get an answer on bail today? >> reporter: you know, your guess is as good as mine. it seems like this magistrate wants really to be thoroughly confident of his decision, get as much information as possible. he's asking this investigating officer more questions about what evidence he was able to obtain. why there seems to be no urgency? he already said from the state to obtain all of this information. you know, that would give him grounds to make a decision on bail or not. so we're expecting that arguments will end today and we're expecting a decision today. but i don't know if that's going to happen. >> yeah, i know. this latest monkey wrench, who knows. we're going to continue to check in with you.

thank you very much. and we're hearing from reeva steenkamp's family this morning. all they want is the truth. her cousin talked with piers morgan about the moment that she heard the news that reeva was dead. >> the last thing i expected and to this day it is surreal. we turned around in this bumper to bumper traffic. we couldn't get out. we turned around and drove. i remember thinking this whole time, this is no way. somebody is playing a joke and the radio guy is going to come on and say that this is a big joke. >> and coming up at 6:30 eastern, we'll break down this morning's development it's pistorius bail hearing. a big development about passengers onboard that nightmare carnival cruise. they filed a class action lawsuit against carnival. the suit claims carnival knew the cruise liner triumph could have engine problems because it had similar issues before. they also maintain the unsanitary conditions on that

crippled ship threatened health of everyone onboard. renee marsh joins us from washington with more. so interesting, renee. when you sign that ticket, when you buy that ticket, there are all kinds of legal disclaimers that appear at least to take away your ability to file a class action suit. >> you are absolutely right, christine. you know what? it's not stopping this class action lawsuit. this is the 15-page class action lawsuit. they filed it yesterday. it says that all 3,000 passengers who were trapped on the ship with no power for days could be part of this suit. now lawyers for the passengers are arguing that carnival should have known that the vessel triumph was likely to experience mechanical or engine issues. why? because there were two mechanical problems on the ship in january. they also say that the ship could have been towed to a closer port. they're arguing that passengers' emotional distress have resulted in physical issues like sickness, nausea, headaches,

nightmares. i asked a maritime attorney what are the chance that's the passengers will get any compensation? >> well, i think that the talking about those passengers who have not suffered a personal injury or some specific physical illness, the likelihood of recovery is going to be much more difficult. >> all right. the cruise tickets, as you mentioned, christine, they say the passengers cannot file a class action lawsuit. but the suit calls that that be voided essentially. they haven't specified exactly how much they're suing for. but they want all damages that are legally allowed plus punitive damages. carnival's reaction, well, they're saying they won't comment on pending litigation. the cruise line already offered to pay every passenger $500, refund for the cost of the cruise that they took plus they're offering them a free cruise. but the folks in this class action suit said that's not enough.

>> all right. renee, we'll continue to watch this case. thank you. 38 minutes past the hour. we're keeping an eye on a powerful winter storm system that is now pounding, pounding the central plains and the midwest right now. several inches of snow and sleet along with howling winds are already being felt across the region. the national weather service predicts more than a foot of snow in parts of kansas. 30 million people and 18 states are in the path of the severe weather system that stretches from the dakotas to texas. jennifer delgado is tracking this crazy system for us. what can you tell us? >> you're right. we're talking about a huge storm system. we're calling this the triple threat. we're talking about snow, ice, as well as severe storms possible down towards areas including texas as well as into louisiana. showing you on the radar right now, look at that lightning out there. and we're also seeing that lightning develop through parts of kansas. a nice storm developing. it looks like right along western texas. those could become stronger as we go later into the afternoon.

look at the snow coming down through parts of kansas. wichita, we have a live reporter and some of the locations, we're seeing two inches per hour for snowfall rate. that is incredible. and then the wintry mix as well as the ice and the potential for downed power lines to come. this is going to last throughout the day. so make sure you're being careful out on the roadways. now we also talked about the snow. we're talking 12 to 18 inches. but let me show you some snow coming out of arizona. and they typically, they don't see snow like this. this video is actually coming from the world golf championship. did you see that? it was a lapse how it started off nice and then it went to end of play. incredible video. that's north of tucson. >> all of those midwestern snow birds who thought they were going to escape february in iowa found snow in arizona. >> here's the good news. a lot of the folks who never experienced snow before are loving every single minute of it. >> that's right. >> first time. >> there is always a little sunshine. >> you're welcome. >> be careful with the cereal

you're eating this morning. kellogg's is recalling three sizes of the cereal with red berries. there may be glass fragments inside the boxes of cereal. it's the 11 ounce, 22 ounce and 37 ounce packages sold at retailers across the country. >> i have this. >> there are no reports of injury but contact kellog for a replacement coupon. >> i'll be calling home. police are investigate ag shocking incident involving two children. this video is disturbing. it is really difficult to watch. we need to share this with you. two little girls are being egged on by adults to fight. incredibly, the adults can be heard on this video urging the children to slap and punch each other. the nypd is in the process of trying to offense the adults that are involved in this. that's awful. vice president is on the road today drumming up support for the administration's gun control proposals. he'll take part at a conference at western connecticut university, ten miles from sandy

hook elementary school. four years ago it was all about her arms. now it's all about her bangs. take a look at the new official white house portrait of first lady michelle obama. everyone -- everyone is talking about her hair. the first lady debuted the new style last month, just in time for her husband's inauguration. she said it was part of her midlife crisis. instead of bungee jumping, she got bangs. chaos and confusion captured over the phone as a deadly incident unfolds. >> 911. what's your emergency? >> yeah. i think somebody is shot. >> so disturbing. more on this and the other 911 calls in a vie lept caolent cal shooting spree. >> and the truth about mars. why we might need to rethink the red planet nickname. s you may nw that your mouth is under attack, from food particles and bacteria. try fixodent. it helps create a food seal defense for a clean mouth and kills bacteria for fresh breath. ♪ fixodent, and forget it.

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new development this is morning in a murder and carjacking spree that terrified

motorists in southern california. police in orange county released frantic 911 calls that were made while this incident was unfolding early tuesday morning. three people were shot to death before the gunman took his own life. cnn's miguel marques has the story. 911, was your emergency? >> yeah. i think somebody is shot. >> reporter: the mother of 20-year-old ali sayed moments after he shot this woman in his parents' orange county home. >> take a deep breath. tell me what's going on, okay? >> just come. >> explain to me what's going on, please. >> i can't talk. please come. >> reporter: 4:45 a.m., the beginning of yet another horrifying shooting spree. about 25 minutes after the first desperate 911 call, police say, sayed tried to steal a cadillac, firing at the driver who fled. minutes later, sayed carjacked a truck telling the driver "i killed somebody.

today is my last day." i don't want to hurt you. >> he has a rifle in his hands." >> sayed came to this freeway, the 5 and interchange with the 55 where he got out of his car, pulled out a shotgun and began shooting at random cars. literally people on their way to work. no one was killed there but around 5:20 a.m., police say, sayed carjacked a bmw stopped at an off ramp. he forced melvin lee edwards from the car, marched him to the side of the road and in front of on lookers executed the 69-year-old businessman. >> he's shot right here on the grass. >> reporter: at 5:35, he stops at a construction site killing 26-year-old jeremy lewis. he wounded a co-worker before fleeing. at 5:52 a.m., just over an hour after it all began, police say, sayed shot and killed himself while his car was still moving. police say there are no signs

sayed had mental health issues. they took his computers as evidence and hope to discover what prompted this deadly rage. miguel marques, cnn, los angeles. 47 minutes past the hour. drew peterson expected to find out how long he will be in prison. the ex-cop from illinois was found guilty last year of killing his third wife. peterson's defense team is asking for a new trial claiming his former lead attorney made damaging decisions during that trial. many legal experts think the judge will deny the request and hand down the sentence. peterson faces up to 60 years in prison. we call mars the red planet. it may be time to rethink that nickna nickname. the sample of dust that came out is gray. and scientists will analyze it to see if this evidence may be of life supporting compounds on the gray planet. an oscar nominee who god worldwide recognition was not recognized at the airport. one filmmaker's story coming up.

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welcome back. 51 minutes past the hour. final arguments in the oscar pistorius bail hearing are now under way. that means we could find out any minute if he will be granted bail. the defense angling for a lesser charge now saying there is not enough evidence for murder. the final arguments come after both sides squabbled over the italian house that prosecutors say that pistorius owns. prosecutors offered up a magazine interview where pistorius apparently does discuss it. they're trying to prove that he is a flight risk. meantime, we have learned this morning that the lead investigator hilton bota who testified yesterday now faces reinstated attempted murder charges for allegedly opening fire on a mini bus carrying seven people. that was back in 2009. >> bizarre. an about-face by rick scott.

he is agreeing to allow his state to accept expanded medicare coverage, a key provision in president obama's new health care law. he was threatening to reject it. scott becomes the seventh republican governor to sign on to the plan. and a beer merger worth bill ynz is on hold this morning. a federal judge in washington is giving anheuser-busch more time to work out its plans to take over modelo, a mexican company that makes corona. they said the deal could make your beer cost more money. lance armstrong is done talking. he's refusing to cooperate with u.s. anti-doping agency's investigation into the use of performance enhancing drugs in cycling. they were hoping he would provide them with names of coaches or doctors who helped him and his tour de france winning team's illegally dope. we heard from tiger gushing over president obama's golf game when they played together on sunday. no surprise there. so this morning we're hearing from the president about his experience. while tiger complimented the

president's short game, mr. obama even more impressed with the golf champion. >> he plays a different game than i do. he's on another planet. >> he is more nervous because he's playing with you or are you more nervous because you're playing with him. >> i don't think he was nervous. i knew i wasn't a big threat to his world ranking. and i knew that i better keep my day job. >> isn't tiger ranked second in the world? the white house is still fielding complaints from the media for barring reporters and photographers from that golf outing. >> the white house correspondents are very mad. coming up, how old is too old for facebook? one great grandmother's digital dilemma next. mited rewards for his small business. can i get the smith contract, please? thank you. that's three new paper shredders. [ boris ] put 'em on my spark card. [ garth ] boris' small business earns 2% cash back on every purchase every day. great businesses deserve unlimited rewards. read back the chicken's testimony, please.

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welcome back to "early start" this morning. facebook is forcing this woman to lie. marring let is 104 years old. she'll turn 105 in april. facebook's settings won't let her enter 1908 on her birth year. so she's been stuck on 99 years old ever since her daughter helped set up the profile. the familiar sli sending messages to mark zuckerberg to get this problem corrected. he's busy running a company, no response so far. >> he should respond to this. he should change it. i love this story. now to the best of late night. david letterman kicks us off. >> somebody came up to me and they would say dave, how would you describe the academy awards, i would say, i would think for a moment and i would say it's like a carnival cruise --

with speeches. that's how i would describe it. >> best actor nominee bradley cooper said his date to the oscars will be his mother. isn't that nice? yeah, you'll recognize her. she'll be the only woman there that doesn't want to sleep with bradley cooper. >> gas is so expensive, lindsay lohan can't afford to drive anymore. she needs three friends to push her car into another car. gas is now more valuable than a working toilet on a carnival cruise. that's how expensive it is. >> all right. "early start" continues right now. it could come down at any moment, a south african court expected to rule on bail for olympic star oscar pistorius. and this after a bombshell revelation about the lead detective on this case. breaking news, multiple casualties reported from the scene of a car bombing in syria. we'll follow that for you. a winter storm dumping snow,

ice, sleet, plowing its way across 18 states. there are 30 million people in its path. first on cnn, new fallout from the david petraeus sex scandal. army brass taking action now against paula broadwell after the steamy affair that brought down the director of the cia. good morning, welcome to early start" everyone. >> good morning. it's thursday, february 21st. it's just about 6:00 a.m. in the east. let's get started. happening right now, oscar pistorius minutes away from learning whether he will be granted bail despite a charge of premeditated murder against him. final arguments are now under way and the defense is angling for a lesser charge. they say there is simply not enough evidence for murder. they say if pistorius wanted to kill reeva steenkamp, he could have done it in the bedroom rather than the bathroom. in a stunning development surrounding the lead investigator in this case, officer hilton now facing

reinstated attempted murder charges for allegedly opening fire on a mini bus carrying seven people back in 2009 when he was allegedly under the influence of alcohol. stunning developments. what is happening right now in that courtroom? >> reporter: well, zoraida, as you rightly said, it's arguments today on whether oscar pistorius should be granted bail or not. you will remember that the big contention is whether this was premed kadated murder or not. if it is premeditated murder, bail is denied. on tuesday the magistrate said he couldn't rule out the possibility of premeditated murder but since then oscar pistorius' defense team has been poking holes at the state's case and successfully so in some measure. today they are repeating what

they believe is that oscar pistorius is not guilty of premeditated murder. they're saying he's not guilty of murder at all and so far they say the state has not been able to prove premeditation, zoraida. >> what about the lead investigator here, these stunning new developments surrounding him? >> you know, the charges that he's facing, seven counts of attempted murder charges which arise from a case in 2009 where he allegedly with other police officers shot at a mini bus, a taxi. they were allegedly drunk and driving a police car. this is huge news in south africa. this is what south africans woke up to this morning. but when the magistrate in the oscar pistorius case called the investigating officer back to the stand this morning, he didn't ask him anything about these allegations. the magistrate is concentrating on the evidence that this

investigating evidence has led in his attempt to convince the court to not grant oscar pistorius bail. so the magistrate hasn't asked about the big news that has consumed south africa at the moment, so obviously focusing on his main decision, which he hope he will make today, zoraida. >> we have been following tweets out of the courtroom and one of the things he was questioning is why is it that you did not request any of the cell phone records of reeva steenkamp or any of the text messages that she sent out between those hours that are in question, so i know that you're following all of this for us. we really appreciate it. all reeva steenkamp's family wants is the truth about what happened to the model and reality tv star. that's what her half-brother adam said in an exclusive interview on cnn's "anderson cooper 360" last night. he said they didn't discuss her relationship with pistorius.

>> i had no bad indications whatsoever. i did not actually talk to my sister in any detail about oscar at all. i mean in fact i didn't talk to my sister about oscar at all. i wouldn't like -- everyone is saying the same thing. >> he went on to say that she actually seemed happy. so coming up at the bottom of the hour, we'll break down all of the latest developments of the pistorius bail hearing with paul callan. right now 30 million people are in the path of a huge center storm moving from california into the central plains. 18 states are affected here. the powerful system blanketing the rockies and brought snow as far south as tucson, arizona. blizzard conditions including fierce winds and sleet ripping through parts of nebraska, south dakota and iowa. parts of kansas facing the biggest threat of heavy snow right now. the effects of this giant storm

system already being felt there in kansas. the national weather service predicting heavy snowfall across the state with up to 18 inches in some areas. kansas state university has cancelled classes and the kansas city international airport is cancelling flights. governor sam brown back shut down offices through friday morning ahead of this storm. erin mcpike is in wichita where it's still coming down very hard there, isn't it, erin. >> reporter: yes, it sure is. right behind me we just saw a snow plow go by for the third time in the past hour but the road is already covered again. we also have a handy ruler to check throughout the day. it's 4 inches now and two hours ago there was nothing. so it is about 2 inches an hour and we'll see a lot more throughout the day. 9 inches at least, maybe up to 18. it's going to be a little higher in topeka where they're expecting 17 or 18 inches. as you mentioned, the governor,

sam brownback, has shut down most of the state today. he's saying if you want to play in the snow, basically go nuts, but stay off the roads because the roads are pretty bad here. now, we have heard that farmers are welcoming this storm because it's been a drought for a couple of years here, so, you know, we want to see some heavy snow to help ease those drought conditions. >> and that is the silver lining if there is one, erin mcpike, you're absolutely right. you can play, get out of school today. this storm system is really huge. eventually stretching from the dakotas to houston, texas. while it dumps snow in the north it will also pour heavy rain over new orleans and montgomery, alabama, and it could kick up tornados along the gulf coast as well so let's get right to jennifer delgado in the weather center in atlanta. i think it's probably easier for you to tell us who's not affected. >> that's right, exactly. if you're in that bull's-eye we're talking bad conditions.

our triple threat, snow, ice, as well as severe storms. we're already seeing those storms developing across parts of texas. you see it on the radar. the line of storms. you notice it looks like we might get a little squall line developing but severe weather later throughout the day. i want to point out for you look at that lightning that's affecting parts of kansas. that's why we've been getting reports of thundersnow out there. that shows you just how strong this storm system is. notice the wintry mix out there. this is going to spell a lot of troubles, especially traveling through northern arkansas, southern parts of missouri as well as into western parts of tennessee. now, as we track this for you, we've got to take you through the day. we take it through the evening time right around drive time it starts to shift to the east. throughout the afternoon this heavy snow will continue to blow up. by tomorrow notice it starts to affect more parts of the midwest as well as the ohio valley and there's that heavy rain that we're talking about. they could see 4 to 6 inches of rain through parts of the southeast over the weekend, but the snow totals are going to be

incredible. we're talking 12 to 18 inches and it looks like in wichita, they're going to take a beating as well. but eastern kansas, they're going to be digging out of here. we're talking roughly about here. that gives you an idea. >> thank you for the warning. another story developing, five people are dead after a small plane crash landed near augusta, georgia. one passenger and the pilot surviving -- they're now in the hospital this morning. this is the first video from the crash site at thompson mcduffy airport. the beechcraft jet was flying from nashville to thompson, georgia, when it overshot the runway. victor blackwell is live for us about 50 miles west of augusta. any word on what caused this crash? >> reporter: no. we know that the ntsb and faa are investigating. federal authorities were here last night and will be back at sunrise. we're hoping to get more information from them. we know the winds were light and the skies were clear at the time of this crash. initially from the faa we were

told this plane ran off the end of the runway but local law enforcement officials told us there is a four-lane road, an industrial building and a few hundred yards between the runway and the first piece of this plane that we're told is spread about a mile and a half scattered over a field and forest in the opposite direction of the airport. there's also a substation there, power lines in that area, and the sheriff says that the first indication they got something was wrong was calls about the power outage. they showed up, found the plane. actually there was a fire that was put out. we're told no injuries on the ground, but again five people killed, two injured. we're still working to confirm who those people are. of course we'll bring you that when we find out. back to you, christine. >> victor blackwell, thank you, victor. more information now on a story still breaking in syria. take a look at these images. a car bomb targeting the headquarters of syria's ruling party exploding in central damascus. we're now hearing that 31 people

killed at the scene. the vehicle detonated at a checkpoint in fronting of the socialist party's main office and the russian embassy. this is according to a human rights group. we'll bring you all of the updates on this breaking story throughout the morning. new developments this morning shedding light on a deadly shooting spree in orange county, california, that left four people dead, including the gunman. police just releasing 911 calls from this case. the killings began early tuesday morning when police say 20-year-old ali sayed fatally shot a young woman at his parents' home. his mother then made this frantic call to 911. >> 911, what's your emergency? >> yeah. i think somebody is shot. >> take a deep breath and tell me what's going on, okay. >> please come. >> explain to me what's going on, please. >> i can't talk. just come. >> please say sayed committed three carjackings, killing two

drivers in the process. he then turned the weapon on himself. it is ten minutes past the hour. a once promising career in ruins. former illinois congressman jesse jackson jr. is now facing up to five years in prison when he is sentenced on june 28th. he pleaded guilty yesterday to using $750,000 in campaign funds over a seven-year period to buy personal items, including a $43,000 rolex watch. jackson's wife, sandi, a former chicago alderman, also pleaded guilty to filing false income tax returns related to the misuse of campaign funds. she faces up to three years in prison. our first look at surveillance video caught the moment a deadly gas explosion leveled a restaurant in kansas city. one person was killed, more than a dozen others injured. witnesses say it sounded like thunder, felt like an earthquake. authorities say a utility construction crew severed a gas line leading to that massive explosion. a boeing executive meets with faa officials tomorrow to

lay out the company's plan to fix its 787 dreamliner jets. that fleet has been grounded because of battery problems that ignited at least two fires. boeing hopes to get the planes back in the air by april. >> and they're rolling off the assembly line really with nowhere to go right now. an interesting dilemma. the army has revoked the promotion of paula broadwell, david petraeus' former mistress. the army reversed its decision to promote broadwell from major to lieutenant colonel after they initially approved it last summer. since the scandal broke, broadwell has been under investigation for having classified information in her home without permission. big developments in the works this morning aimed at ending the nuclear standoff between iran and the west. we're going to go live to washington coming up. plus bowling and strippers. oh, yes, and young teenagers. a suburban mom in trouble after racy pictures involving her own child surfaced on the web. vor.

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iranians in talks that are set for next tuesday. the goal is to offer economic incentives in exchange for iran shutting down a uranium enrichment facility and surrendering its stockpile of enriched uranium. foreign affairs reporter elise labot is in washington with details. i was reading that the core of the new offer revises last year's demand that iran stop producing high-grade uranium so what's different in this offer? >> reporter: it's been about a year and the iranians have been making a lot of progress at this particular facility so now the u.s. and its partners are sweetening the pot, so to speak, asking more of iran when they sit down next week. so in exchange for easing a ban on the trade of gold and precious metals, which could help the iranian economy, and some nuclear fuel for peaceful purposes, iran must close this enrichment facility. you know, that facility is underground and this is the

concern, that the longer iran keeps this plant open and works underground, it becomes more difficult to stop them militarily from having a nuclear weapon. they want iran to ship out the uranium it already enriched to a pretty high level. iran has already rejected this plan but my sources are saying expectations are low for these talks. the elections are coming in june. nobody thinks they want to make a deal and make concessions before the elections but iran's economy is really hurting because of these biting sanctions the u.s. and europe has slammed on them, this ban on ill and against their central bank. in the last year alone, the iranian currency has fallen 80% so the u.s. and the partners feel that it's good to get these talks going, see what iran wants. the hope is maybe that they'll feel the crunch and deal more seriously after the elections. >> maybe have a little bit more leverage. elise, thank you. happening right now, oscar pistorius may be minutes away from learning whether he will be granted bail despite a charge of

premeditated murder against him. final arguments are under way and the defense is angling for a lesser charge, not murder. they say if pistorius wanted to kill reeva steenkamp he could have done it in the bedroom rather than the bathroom. we've also learned that the lead investigator in the case, officer hilton botha, facing reinstated attempted murder charges of his own for allegedly opening fire on a mini bus carrying seven people back in 2009. that happened when he was allegedly under the influence of alcohol. much of the country is under a severe weather warning this morning. 30 million people are in the path of a really powerful winter storm that is dropping snow, ice and sleet across several states in the central plains and the midwest. this system is huge. 800,000 square miles, 18 states. the national weather service is predicting up to 18 inches of snow in parts of kansas today. tough travel weather today. a mom charged by police after they say she hired strippers to perform at her

son's 16th birthday party at a bowling alley. the d.a. in albany, new york, says some of the kids were as young as 13 years old. here's the mom, 33-year-old judy vigar. she is charged with five counts of endangering the welfare of a child. this is how parents found out about it because steamy photos began popping up out there on facebook. moms, can you imagine? dads too, right? crazy. >> we're very judgmental this morning on this story. >> it's a tough one. i never want to ever hear anything like this about my children. a mom and dad near san diego are suing their school district over yoga. they claim the twice weekly classes are religious in nature and violate the separation of church and state. it's believed to be the first in the nation to have full-time yoga teachers at every school. the superintendent said the program is about wellness, not about program. >> about chilling, relaxing. >> 19 minutes past the hour. we're not allowed to use

smartphones during airline flights, but did you know that your pilot can? christine? >> it's true. this is road warriors this morning for you. if the faa had its way, pilots won't be able to use their personal wireless devices in the cockpit. the proposed rule would ban flight crews from using smartphones, lab tops, tablets. flight crews are not allowed to use wireless devices while they're taxiing, taking off or landing. >> that's good news. >> the new proposal would extend the ban for the entire flight. the goal is to reduce distractions so pilots can pay more attention to air traffic control and weather. several incidents prompted this proposal, including one in 2009 when two northwest airline pilots flew 150 miles past their destination while using their personal laptops. both pilots had their licenses revoked. >> this is one of those duh moments, right? >> some of them actually do get weather on their laptops and some of them check their schedules on their ipads and

laptops too. some airlines, they give the pilots ipads to lighten their load. wireless devices used for work would still be allowed. >> oh, all right. 20 minutes past the hour. coming up, the american ceo who may have angered an entire country. wait until you hear how he mocked the entire french workforce. >> this is really an interesting story. ♪

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good morning. minding your business this morning, stock futures are lower right now. walmart reports its fourth quarter earnings in about an hour.

we'll look for clues from that company and how consumers are dealing with the payroll tax holiday expiration and higher gas prices right now. the dow fell 108 points yesterday after minutes from the federal reserve's latest policy meeting hinted that the fed might scale back it's bond-buying program. that program is credited with helping drive stocks to near record highs and stabilizing the economy. the head of a u.s. tire company is raising eyebrows this morning. the "wall street journal" reports maurice taylor sent a scathing letter to a french industry ministry blasting the country's work ethic. he was responding to a request that titan look into buying a shuttered tire plant in france. he wrote sir, your letter states that you want titan to start a discussion. how stupid do you think we are? he goes on to say the french workforce gets paid high wages but works only three hours. they get one hour for breaks and lunch, talk for three and work for three. we called titan for a comment but haven't received a response

yet. the website says maurice taylor is nicknamed the grizz for his tough negotiating style. the one thing you need to know about your money today, 10%, that's the amount the long-term unemployed could lose from their weekly jobless benefits if congress doesn't avoid the spending cuts which begin march 1st. it applies to the emergency federal benefits congress has been authorizing since 2008. it adds up to about $400 through the end of the fiscal year. so the long-term unemployed among those who would feel those forced spending cuts if congress doesn't act. it is 25 minutes past the hour. an oscar nominee who's gotten worldwide recognition was apparently not recognized at the airport. one filmmaker's story coming up. none of us would want to be told we can't marry the person we

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ready to change your routine? ask your doctor about once-a-day xarelto®. for more information including cost support options, call 1-888-xarelto or visit goxarelto.com. happening right now, the defense for oscar pistorius arguing for a lesser charge as we await a ruling on bail just moments away now. a severe weather alert this morning, a winter storm dumping on 18 states affecting some 30 million people. >> 911, what's your emergency? >> yeah. i think somebody is shot. >> chaos and confusion captured over the phone in the first moments of a deadly california shooting spree. the 911 calls now released. and egged on to fight by

mom? a shocking incident between two young girls caught on camera, begging the question, what were the adults there thinking? >> welcome back to "early start." i'm christine romans in for john berman. >> and i'm zoraida sambolin. let's get started here. we have final arguments in the oscar pistorius bail hearing happening right now. we should know really soon if the olympic icon will be granted bail while awaiting trial for premeditated murder. this follows days of testimony that revealed glaring inconsistencies both in the defense and the prosecution's cases. and there's stunning new information this morning about the lead detective in the case. he's now facing reinstated charges of attempted murder himself. justou paul callan is a cnn legal contributor and a criminal defense attorney and former new york city homicide prosecutor. thanks for being here with us. so let's start with this lead investigator. apparently he is facing reinstated charges of murder and

this apparently was reinstated on wednesday. how does this affect this case? >> well, this is a stunning and shocking development. here he is, he's the lead investigator of a homicide case involving the most famous figure in south africa and they assign a guy who's under attempted murder investigation as the person to gather the evidence. it's going to totally destroy his credibility, his believe ability on the witness stand. >> the first thing that happened when they reconvened court, the magistrate asked him to come back. he didn't deal with the issue of the murder charge against him but he did ask why did you not order the cell phone records of reeva steenkamp. why do we not know if she sent text messages out during that critical time period. why is the magistrate doing that? >> well, i think the magistrate is analyzing the evidence in a careful way, the way he is supposed to.

while on the surface this looks like a strong case against pistorius, i mean he shoots his girlfriend in the bathroom three times, firing the weapon four times, and then comes up with this story i thought i was shooting a burglar. it's a circumstantial evidence case. reva is dead so the only person left is pistorius so you need the physical evidence to back up the claim this was a reckless homicide or intentional homicide. so you want text messages, you want cell phone records, you want good forensics, blood analysis, fingerprints, good autopsy reports. you want all of this collateral evidence to build your case and that's what the magistrate is going after. you know, something he's not finding it. he's finding sloppy police work done by a chief investigator under indictment for attempted murder. a shocking development. >> well, the magistrate did say that he wasn't aware that those charges were actually pending. he said i thought that they were gone. so in his defense i need to say

that. so let's deal with some of these tweets that robin -- we have a reporter inside and she says that the defense is saying, listen, if this was premeditated murder, if he wanted to kill her, he could have killed her while she was in bed. why did he choose to kill her in the bathroom? how do you respond to that? >> as a prosecutor my answer would be you form the intent to kill somebody sometimes rather suddenly. prosecutors here have said he formed the intent to kill her when he reached under the bed. and by the way, he had to walk by the bed in which she was supposedly sleeping on this hot summer night in south africa. is he going to miss, you know, one of the most spectacularly beautiful models in south africa lightly covered on his bed as he walks toward the bathroom if she's missing? he says he thought she was still there. secondly, i think -- >> they did say it's pitch black. >> well, it's pitch black. i just kind of doubt that she would be invisible in that room. but in any event, if you think there's a burglar in the house and there's somebody who's going to attack your loved one,

wouldn't you at least shake her on the shoulder and say, honey, i hear a noise, i'm going to check it out in the bathroom, call the police. wouldn't you warn her so she would be safe? no indication that that happens. instead he walks into the bathroom and supposedly yells something out. she presumably did not respond and then he opens fire through the bathroom door. very, very shaky story to begin, with i think. so there are answers to these defense allegations that this was an accident. >> well, let's not forget this is a bail hearing, right, not a trial so really that's what's at stake here, whether or not he will get bail. now, the charge was upgraded to premeditated murder. one of the things that the prosecutors are saying is this is a flight risk. so how do you think given all of the evidence that has resulted today alone, how will that affect whether or not he gets bail? >> i think he's making a stronger case today for bail than was indicated earlier in the week. if it's a premeditated murder case, in other words, a planned

murder, he's facing a minimum of 25 years in prison and possibly life in prison. if this gets reduced to what we call a reckless homicide in the united states, it would be a manslaughter, accidentally killing somebody by acting in a reckless way and certainly firing four times through a door, not knowing who's behind the door, is recklessly criminal. but you're not facing that kind of jail time so he's got a greater argument that he deserves bail. in fact he's so well known internationally, it's kind of hard to believe that he could hide someplace and not be found. >> this is just incredible developments. paul callange, really nice to he you. we appreciate your time. we're hearing from reeva steenkamp's family this morning. they're saying all they want is the truth. her cousin talked exclusively about piers morgan last night about the moment she heard the news that reeva was dead. >> the last thing i expected and to me to this day it's surreal.

we turned around in this bumper-to-bumper traffic. we turned and and thinking there's no way, this is not -- somebody is playing a joke and they're going to -- the radio guy is going to come on and say this is a big joke. >> it's so difficult to hear from them, right, christine? >> it really is. new developments this morning giving us an inside look at a murder and carjacking spree that terrified motorists in southern california. police in orange county have released frantic 911 calls that were made while this incident was unfolding early tuesday morning. three people were shot to death before the gunman took his own life. miguel marquez has the story. >> 911, what's your emergency? >> yeah. i think somebody is shot. >> reporter: the mother of 20-year-old ali sayed moments after police say he shot courtney in his parents' orange county home. >> take a deep breath and tell me what's going on, okay. >> please come. >> explain to me what's going on, please.

>> i can't talk. please come. >> reporter: 4:45 a.m. the beginning of yet another horrifying shooting spree. about 25 minutes after the first desperate 911 call, please say, sayed tried to steal a cadillac, firing at the driver who fled. minutes later, sayed carjacked a truck, telling the driver. i killed somebody, today is my last day. i don't want to hurt you. >> he's got a rifle in his hands and he's pointing it at a guy in a pickup. >> reporter: after carjacking that truck, sayed came to this freeway, the 5 and the interchange with the 55 where he got out of his car, pulled out his shotgun and began shooting at random cars. literally people on their way to work. no one was killed there, but around 5:20 a.m. police say sayed carjacked a bmw forced at an off-ramp. he forced melvin lee edwards to the car, marched him to the side of the road and in front of

onlookers, executed the 69-year-old businessman. >> he's shot right here on the grass. >> reporter: at 5:35 he stops at a construction site, killing 26-year-old jeremy lewis. he wounded a co-worker before fleeing. at 5:52 a.m., just over an hour after it all began, sayed shot and killed himself while his car was still moving. police say there are no signs sayed had mental health issues. they have taken his computers as evidence and hope to discover what prompted this deadly rage. miguel marquez, cnn, los angeles. >> our thanks to miguel. 38 minutes past the hour. the vice president is on the road today drumming up support for the administration's gun control proposals. joe biden will take part in a conference at western connecticut state university. that's just ten miles from sandy hook elementary school in newtown. so you knew this was coming. people aboard last week's nightmare cruise are now plaintiffs in a class action lawsuit against carnival. an oklahoma couple filed the suit on behalf of the other

passengers. they claim carnival knew the cries liner triumph could have engine problems because it had similar issues before. they as say the unsanitary conditions on the crippled ship threatened the health of everyone on board. and we are checking the stories trending on cnn this morning. a shocking incident here in new york city involving two children. i have to tell you, warn you that this is disturbing video. it's very difficult to watch. it's two little girls being urged by adults to fight. you see that? incredibly, you're hearing it but they're in the background urging the children to slap and punch each other. the new york police department is trying to identify the adults involved. an oscar nominated palestinian filmmaker arriving in lads for sunday's ceremony was detained along with his family by immigration officials who questioned his oscar invite. he said he was held for about an hour before they released him.

his film, "five broken cameras" is up for best documentary feature. his family's detention was an unpleasant experience but the kind palestinians experience every day in the west bank. sony unveiling its playstation 4 in new york. we hear it's pretty amazing stuff. the hottest features, social network integration, streaming capability and a supercharged processor which will make for some impressive high-definition graphics. check your cereal bowl. kellogg's recalls thousands of boxes this morning. something could be in there and they're not little red berries like they're supposed to be. and marco rubio still getting ribbed about that water break during that state of the union response. watch a world leader get in on the fun when we come back.

good morning, everyone. welcome back to "starting point." soledad o'brien joins us now. >> i have gained 15 minutes on my show today. >> yes, you have. >> it's going to be a long day. >> there's so much news going on, what's going on. >> we're going to follow the final arguments that are under way in the oscar pistorius bail hearing. we'll tell you what we're learning about reeva steenkamp's final moments and some pretty shocking information about this lead investigator who's been testifying against pistorius. he himself now faces seven counts of attempted murder in a prior case. we'll give you the details on that. this case obviously now sensational. not only in south africa but here as well. plus american alan gross has

been held in cuba now for 1,177 days, one of the largest congressional delegations has gone to cuba to visit with him, try to get him free. we'll talk with a member of that trip. congressman jim mcgovern will join us and tell us if they were able to make any progress and why cuba will not release gross. then we're going to talk oscars on sunday. who's going to take home the statue. octavia spencer won the award for best supporting actress last year. she's going to join us live, handicap the race for us. she's fantastic. looking forward to that. >> thank you, soledad. it will be nice to meet her. much of the country under a severe weather warning this morning. 30 million people are in the path of a powerful winter storm that's dropping ice, snow, sleet across the states in the central plains and the midwest. this system is huge. it's 800,000 square miles. that's over 18 states. the national weather service predicts up to 18 inches of snow in kansas alone today. listen up if you're having

breakfast, specifically kellogg. they are recalling three sizes of its special k cereal with red berries. why? because there may be glass fragments inside that box. the 11-ounce, 22-ounce and 37-ounce packages were sold at retailers across the country. there have been no reports of any injuries, but consumers are advised to contact kellogg for a replacement coupon and to look inside your cereal box. some are calling it watergate 2. we've also heard zero dark thirsty to describe senator marco rubio's infamous water grab during the response to the president's state of the union. now the incident is getting international attention. check out this picture of israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu and the florida republican at a meeting in israel poking fun at the incident, i would say. >> that's nice. he's gotten a lot of mileage out of that moment. so what did president obama think about his round of golf with tiger woods last weekend? well, the commander in chief and the four-time masters champion

teed it up sunday in florida. tiger thought it was pretty cool, and praised the president's short game. president obama, a little bit more impressed. >> he plays a different game than i do. he's on another planet. >> is he more nervous because he's playing with you or are you more nervous because you're playing with tiger woods. >> you know, i don't think he was nervous. he knew that i wasn't a big threat to his world ranking and i knew that i better keep my day job. >> if i'm not mistaken, that's a number two world ranking. the white house is still fielding complaints from the media for barring reporters and photographers from the president's golf outing. coming up, the truth about mars, the red planet. why we might need to rethink that nickname. and the boys of summer stuck in winter. does this look like spring training to you? the bleacher report on deck right after this. a lot of weight,'re cag c-max has a nice little trait,

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welcome back. 51 minutes after the hour. let's get you up to date. oscar pistorius may be minutes away from a decision on bail as he fights a charge of premeditated murder against him. final arguments are under way right now and the defense is asking for a lesser charge than murder. they say if pistorius wanted to kill his girlfriend, reeva steenkamp, he could have done it in the bedroom not in the bathroom. the other new bombshell, the lead investigator, hilton bota,

faces reinstated attempted murder charges for allegedly opening fire on a mini bus back in 2009. drew peterson expected to find out today how long he'll be in prison. the ex-cop from illinois was found guilty last year of killing his third wife. peterson's defense team is asking for a new trial. the defense team claims that his former lead attorney made damaging decisions during the trial. the former police officer faces up to 60 years in prison. forget the nickname the red planet. a new sample from nasa's curiosity rover on mars produced a sample of gray dust. scientists are going to analyze this to see if there's any evidence of life-supporting compounds there. >> we can't call it the gray planet. 52 minutes past the hour. the winter weather out west was so bad that a pga tour event in arizona had to be postponed because of snow. >> i know. joe carter has details in this morning's bleacher report. i mean, gosh, you go to arizona to, you know, get away from the snow. >> yeah, you're supposed to bring your sun tan lotion, not

your winter coat. basically it was 70 and sunny one day, which of course is ideal weather for golf. 24 hours later, 32 and snowy. it was more like football weather. the opening round of the world golf classic went from this to that. 2 inches of snow covering the desert. isn't that weird to see? this course is 30 minutes north of tucson, arizona. the first round of that tournament postponed for later today. they cannot get on the course today, though, guys until all that snow melts. now, this is a shot from scottsdale, arizona, just south of there. this is salt river field where the arizona diamondbacks hold spring training practices and games. i mean come on, there's no snowing in baseball. but conditions will improve today. it's expected to be 58 and sunny. plenty of emotions at the staples center last night. it was the first home game since owner jerry buss passed away. fans signed a giant card for buss and their family. they paid tribute to him by leaving his seat in the owner's box empty.

kobe bryant before the game addressed the crowd calling jerry the greatest owner in sports. the team got a good game from dwight howard. the lakers delivered a big win over the boston celtics which is a pretty perfect outcome for the lakers considering it's a rivalry jerry buss helped build. well, andrew played center on lsu's basketball team. three years ago he was a freshman with a scholarship to play tuba. how did he go from a band member to a division i basketball player? at 7'3" he said he couldn't go anywhere on campus without someone asking him why he wasn't on the basketball team. >> people on the street say that guy needs to try out for the basketball team. what's he doing in the band? all that kind of stuff. yeah, game days were just packed and stuff like that. >> all right. for all your entertaining sports news, of course you can go to bleacherreport.com. i think, guys, he should become

a band teacher after college and coach basketball, what do you think? >> that's a great idea. all he has to do is just stand under the basket, right? unbelievable. 7'3". thank you. and he can read music. "early start" back in a few moments. my credit card rewards are easy to remember with the bankamericard cash rewards credit card. earn 1% cash back everywhere, every time. [ both ] 2% back on groceries. [ all ] 3% on gas. no hoops to jump through. i earn more cash back on the things i buy the most. [ woman ] it's as easy as... one! -two. -[ all ] three! [ male announcer ] the bankamericard cash rewards credit card. apply online or at a bank of america near you. [ male announcer ] the bankamericard cash rewards credit card. it's not what you think. it's a phoenix with 4 wheels. it's a hawk with night vision goggles. it's marching to the beat of a different drum. and where beauty meets brains. it's big ideas

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